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Peach Swirl Ice Cream
It was a happy accident that led to discovering how smooth and creamy Mexican Crema makes ice cream. The high fat content and slight tang make a delightful ice cream base that can be used for all sorts of recipes. Here, we pair it with fresh peaches from the Yellowstone Valley Farmer's Market for an ice cream that tastes like summer itself.
Higher fat ice cream bases don't freeze as hard due to there being less water overall. This means the base needs a little longer to freeze before serving. When making ice cream at home, I often divide the tasks into two days. On the first day, I'll chill my ice cream maker's canister and make the base. On the second day I churn and freeze the ice cream, leaving at least 2 hours before I want to serve it.
Peach Swirl Ice Cream
Zest Billings, LLC
8
Desserts
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds ripe peaches, halved, pitted and cut into ½ chunks
1 ⅔ cups sugar, divided
½ teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch kosher salt
1 ½ cups half and half
¾ cups Mexican crema
⅓ cup light corn syrup
Directions
If using a canister style ice cream maker, place the empty canister in the freezer at least 24 hours before churning. Freeze a Tovolo Glide-N-Scoop 1.5 quart ice cream tub or loaf pan.
Combine peaches, ½ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Let sit for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. Drain the peaches in a fine mesh strainer set over a second bowl. Reserve ½ cup liquid; remaining liquid can be used in cocktails and mocktails.
Blend the drained peaches until very smooth. Transfer ½ cup peach puree to a 1 ½ quart saucepan and reserve the remaining puree in a large bowl. Add ½ cup sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the saucepan and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the saucepan constantly, until mixture turns a deep orange color and registers 208º to 210º. Transfer cooked peach mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
Bring the ½ cup peach liquid to a simmer in your now empty saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until liquid is thick and syrupy and registers 208º to 210º. Transfer syrup to the bowl with the uncooked peach puree and allow to cool slightly. Add half and half, Mexican crema, corn syrup, and remaining ⅔ cup sugar. Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until temperature registers around 40º, about 4 hours (or for up to 24 hours).
Transfer the ice cream base to your ice cream maker and churn until mixture resembles a thick soft-serve ice cream, about 25-30 minutes.
When your ice cream has finished churning, spread about ⅓ of it in an even layer in your pre-frozen ice cream tub or loaf pan. Drizzle ⅓ of the cooked peach mixture evenly over the ice cream. Repeat 2 times with remaining ice cream and peach mixture. Drag a skewer through ice cream in a circular pattern to create swirls. Freeze ice cream until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve.
